Gay Issues

A star wrestler at Kent State University has been suspended indefinitely after tweeting homophobic comments towards Michael Sam, the NFL hopeful who came out as gay this past weekend.

Sam Wheeler took to Twitter to go on a homophobic rant against Michael Sam and his supporters.

"I can't even watch Sports Center today cause all they are talking about is Marcus Smart or that fag from Mizzou,” wrote Wheeler in his initial tweet. He followed that one up by responding to other people, calling them derogatory words, and sarcastically saying, “O geez I got all these fag boys mad at me now."

Following the 20-year-old’s rant and the controversy it started, all of the tweets were deleted, followed shortly thereafter by the deletion of his entire Twitter account.

"On behalf of Kent State University, we consider these comments to be ignorant and not indicative of the beliefs held by our university community as a whole," said Joel Nielsen, athletic director for Kent State University. "This is an educational opportunity for all of our student-athletes."

Wheeler’s actions not only came with a ton of backlash and media attention, but he was also suspended for what he wrote online.

"As an alum of Kent State University and as Sam's head coach, I was surprised and offended by what I read on Twitter," said coach Jim Andrassy. "I have spoken to Sam personally, and while he is remorseful, he will be suspended indefinitely while we determine the best course of action moving forward."

It’s not been yet been determined when or even if Wheeler will return to wrestle at Kent State, but it’s safe to say that the sophomore never anticipated these consequences when he took his rant to Twitter.

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